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Abstract:

The instant disclosure provides a contact-carrier combination for an
electrical connector. The contact-carrier combination includes a carrier
having a palm portion and a plurality of finger portions extending from
the palm portion and laterally separated from each other at a
predetermined interval, and a plurality of contacts correspondingly
connected to the plurality of finger portions. Each finger portion is
bent to form an escaping section. Each contact includes a base portion
detachably connected to the carrier and a flexible arm slantingly
extending from the base portion in a direction substantially the same as
the bending direction of the receiving arm. The additional room provided
by the arrangement of the instant disclosure enables the connector to
adapt longer flexible arms, thereby enhancing the overall electrical
connectivity of the connector and reduce assembly complexity. With the
simplified shape of the contact in a completed connector, dimensional
accuracy can be easily maintained.

Claims:

1. A contact-carrier combination, comprising: a carrier having a palm
portion and a plurality of finger portions extending there-from and
laterally separated from each other at an predetermined interval, each
finger portion being bent to form an escaping section; and a plurality of
contacts correspondingly and detachably connected to the finger portions,
each contact having a base portion detachably connected to the escaping
section of the carrier and a flexible arm slantingly extending from the
base portion, the direction of extension of the flexible arm being
substantially the same as the bending direction of the escaping section;
wherein when two contact-carrier combinations are placed in a staggered
configuration in parallel rows, the flexible arm of the contact in a rear
row at least partially extends into a space defined by the escaping
section of the carrier in a front row.

2. The contact-carrier combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
escaping section has a first connecting portion and a second connecting
portion; wherein the first connecting portion includes a slanting portion
at an angle.

3. The contact-carrier combination as claimed in claim 2, wherein the
angle is a right angle

4. The contact-carrier combination as claimed in claim 2, wherein the
angle is an obtuse angle.

5. The co contact-carrier combination as claimed in claim 2, wherein the
angle is an acute angle.

6. The contact-carrier combination as claimed in claim 2, wherein the
second connecting portion and the base portion are coplanar.

7. The contact-carrier combination as claimed in claim 2, wherein the
first connecting portion and the base portion are parallel.

8. The contact-carrier combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
upper base portion extends backward and then forward to form the flexible
arm.

9. The contact-carrier combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
upper base portion of the contact extends upward to form a carrier
connecting portion, the carrier connecting portion being detachably
connected to the escaping section of the carrier.

10. The contact-carrier combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
base portion of the contact extends downward to form a pair of holding
legs.

11. The contact-carrier combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
plurality of contacts connected thereon are identical.

12. An electrical connector comprising a plurality of contact-carrier
combinations, wherein each contact-carrier combination comprising: a
carrier having a palm portion and a plurality of finger portions
extending there-from and laterally separated from each other at an
predetermined interval, each finger portion being bent to form an
escaping section; and a plurality of contacts correspondingly and
detachably connected to the finger portions, each contact having a base
portion detachably connected to the escaping section of the carrier and a
flexible arm slantingly extending from the base portion, the direction of
extension of the flexible arm being substantially the same as the bending
direction of the escaping section; wherein when two contact-carrier
combinations are placed in a staggered configuration in parallel rows,
the flexible arm of the contact in a rear row at least partially extends
into a space defined by the escaping section of the carrier in a front
row; wherein the carriers are identical.

Description:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a combination of an electrical
contact units and carrier thereof, and pertains particularly to an
electrical contact-carrier combination for electrical connectors to
establish connection between a chipset module and a circuit board.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art

[0004] As the physical dimension of modern computers shrinks, smaller and
more sophisticated electrical connectors are required. An electrical
connector usually includes an insulating housing having a plurality of
contact receiving slots for hosting a plurality of electrical contacts.
To achieve high contact density within a limited space, the receiving
slots of the insulating housing are disposed as tight as possible.
Conventionally, high contact density is achieved by arranging receiving
slots in aligned rows and columns in a manner similar to a matrix.
However, although the matrix arrangement of the contacts enables the
highest distribution density on a rectangular insulating housing, such
configuration requires the use of contacts having shorter contact arms to
maintain adequate distance from the neighboring contacts and thus prevent
potential short-circuit problems. As a result, the conducting performance
of the conventional connector will suffer due to short flexible arms.

[0005] Attempts are already made to address the above problems. For
example, China patent CN02292491.4 discloses a contact of the electrical
connector for electrically connecting an electrical element to a circuit
board, and is hereby incorporated by reference. The connector includes a
base and a plurality of contacts made from sheet metal by stamping
methods. The base has a plurality of contact receiving slots, and each
contact is received in a contact receiving slot. Each contact includes a
connecting portion inserted in the contact receiving slot, a vertical
body bent from the connecting portion, and a flexible arm (the flexible
arm includes a bent portion and a cantilever arm) extended upwards from
the vertical arm. The connecting portion is bent 90 degrees to form a
vertical body. The flexible arm is formed at the end of the vertical body
through a first bending line. The first bending line constitutes a
specific angle with respect to the horizontal plane. The extending
direction of the flexible arm and the horizontal plane also form a
specific angle, and the flexible arm extends forwards and away from the
vertical body.

[0006] The assembly method for the electrical connector of the
incorporated reference is also described below. A base having a plurality
of contact receiving slots arranged thereon is provided. Specifically,
the contact receiving slots are arranged parallel to the side of the
base. Then, a plurality of contact-carrier combinations are provided.
Each contact-carrier combination has a plurality of contacts connected
thereto. The contact-carrier combinations are then installed into the
rows of contact receiving slots. Specifically, the carriers are
configured in a fashion parallel to one side of the base. The carriers
exposing outside of the base are then removed. The manufacturing of the
referenced electrical connector is then complete.

[0007] Although the reference connector achieves a higher contact density
and provides more flexible contact arms, it still has the following
drawbacks:

[0008] 1. The vertical body is bent from the connecting portion, and the
flexible arm is further formed from the vertical body with the first
bending and second bending. As a result, there is a very complicated
3-dimensional angular and dimensional relation between the connecting
portion which is inserted in the receiving slots, and the flexible arm
which is to match its connecting chip component. Possible manufacturing
variation to this complex shape may occur during the bending process. The
accumulated dimensional or angular variations may result in misalignment
between the complex shaped contact and the chip component. Variations
from the bending process cause misalignment between the contacts and
electrical elements, resulting in poor electrical connection.

[0009] 2. The vertical body is bent from the connecting portion, and the
flexible arm is further bent from the vertical body in different
directions by the first bending and the second bending. As a result,
there is a complex 3-dimensional angular and dimensional relationship
between the connecting portion and the flexible arm. Manufacturing
variation of this complex structure has a high likelihood of occurrence
during the bending process. The accumulated variations may result in
misalignment between the very complicated contact and the receiving slot.
The contacts may be damaged during the installation process due to the
misalignment between the contacts and receiving slots, or at least making
the installation of the contacts difficult. As a result, the assembly
speed of the connector is reduced.

[0010] Therefore, there remains a need for an improved contact-carrier
combination to address the abovementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] One aspect of the instant disclosure is to provide a
contact-carrier combination for an electrical connector. The
contact-carrier combination includes a carrier having a palm portion and
a plurality of finger portions extending from the palm portion and
laterally separated from each other at a predetermined interval, and a
plurality of contacts correspondingly connected to the plurality of
finger portions. Each finger portion is bent to form an escaping section.
Each of the contacts includes a base portion detachably connected to the
carrier and a flexible arm slantingly extending from the base portion in
a direction substantially the same as the bending direction of the
escaping section.

[0012] Comparing to the contact arrangement in conventional connectors,
contact arrangement of the instant disclosure allows the upper portion of
the flexible arm to extend toward the direction of the slanting portion
of the finger portion. Thus, when a plurality of the contact-carrier
combinations 1 are placed in a staggered configuration in parallel rows,
the flexible arm of the contact in a rear row can partially extend into
the space defined by the escaping section of the carrier in a front row
without interfering with each other. Thus, the additional room provided
by the arrangement of the instant disclosure enables the connector to
adapt longer flexible arms, thereby enhancing the overall electrical
connectivity of the connector. Moreover, unlike the contact of
conventional design, which requires a (structurally weakening) 90-degree
bending structure to be formed on the vertical body thereof, the instant
contact-carrier combination incorporates a bending section on the carrier
which is later removed. Therefore, the shape of the contact (in a
completed connector) can be simplified and the structural integrity can
be retained. Furthermore, with the slanting arrangement of the
contact-carrier combination with respect to the side wall of the
insulating housing, it is also possible to reduce the complicated
3-dimensional bending arrangement of the prior art into a simpler
2-dimensional setup. As a result, the accumulation of manufacturing
variation may be lessened and become less critical in a completed
connector. Therefore, the assembling precision may be better maintained.

[0013] For further understanding of the present invention, reference is
made to the following detailed description illustrating the embodiments
and examples of the present invention. The description is for
illustrative purpose only and is not intended to limit the scope of the
claim.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a contact-carrier combination in
accordance with the instant disclosure;

[0015]FIG. 2 shows a rear view of a contact-carrier combination in
accordance with the instant disclosure;

[0016] FIG. 3 shows a side view of the a contact-carrier combination in
accordance with the instant disclosure;

[0017]FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the insulating housing of an
electrical connector in accordance with the instant disclosure;

[0018]FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a contact-carrier combination
being installed into the receiving slots in a front row of the insulating
housing of an electrical connector in accordance with the instant
disclosure;

[0019]FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of another contact-carrier
combination being installed into the receiving slots in a rear row of the
insulating housing of an electrical connector in accordance with the
instant disclosure;

[0020] FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of the contact-carrier
combinations being assembled into the insulating housing in accordance
with the instant disclosure;

[0021]FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of the contact-carrier combination
being assembled into the insulating housing in accordance with the
instant disclosure from a different angle; and

[0022]FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram of the contacts in accordance with
the instant disclosure being installed into the insulating housing and
the carrier being removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Please refer to FIGS. 1 to 3, which show schematic diagrams of the
contact-carrier combination in accordance with the instant disclosure.
For illustration clarity, only two contact-carrier combinations are shown
in the instant figures.

[0024] Each contact-carrier combination 1 comprises a carrier, which has a
palm portion 20 and a plurality of finger portions 21, and a plurality of
contacts 3 detachably connected to the end of the finger portions 21. The
contact-carrier combination 1 may be made from sheet metal by methods
such as stamping technique. To reduce manufacturing complexity and
increase assembling efficiency of the electrical connector, the plurality
of contacts 3 attached thereon is preferably of identical physical
structure, and a plurality of identical contact-carrier combinations may
be correspondingly installed in the receiving slots of a connector.
However, contact-carrier combinations of different physical structure may
be concurrently used, as long as the finger portion 21 of the carrier of
a contact-carrier combination is arranged in a manner that provides
sufficient space to avoid interference with the flexible arm 32 of the
contact 3 of its neighboring contact-carrier combination.

[0025] The plurality of the finger portions 21 of the carrier extend
downward from the palm portion 20 and are laterally separated by a
predetermined interval. Each finger portion 21 is bent to form an
escaping section 22. In other words, the escaping section 22 is bent away
from the root of the finger portion 21 at a predetermined slanting angle
(first angle). The escaping section 22 includes a slanting first
connecting portion 221 and a further bent second connecting portion 222.
Specifically, the second connecting portion 222 slantingly extends from
the first connecting portion 221 at a predetermined angle (second angle).
The instant embodiment shows the arrangement of an obtuse angle between
the two connection portions (221, 222). However, right angle or acute
angle may be adapted as well. Alternatively, the first and the second
connecting portions (221,222) may be coplanar with no bending angle in
between.

[0026] Each of the contacts 3 includes a base portion 31. A carrier
connecting portion 331 is extendedly formed from one side of the upper
base portion 31. The carrier connecting portion 331 is correspondingly
connected to the second connecting portion 222 of the carrier with a
breaking portion 4 arranged in between. The carrier connecting portion
331 further includes a laterally protruding retaining portion 312. In
addition, the other side of the upper base portion 31 extends outward
from the main surface thereof and then back toward itself to form a
flexible arm 32. Preferably, the flexible arm 32 is arranged
substantially toward the same direction as the slanting escaping section
22. Thus, the flexible arm 32 and the carrier connecting portion 331 are
laterally adjacent to each other on the upper portion of the contact 3.
The lower end of the base portion 31 extends downward to form a pair of
holding legs 34.

[0027] Please refer to FIG. 3, which shows an embodiment in accordance
with the instant disclosure. In this specific example, the second
connecting portion 222 of the carrier is arranged in a coplanar manner
with the base portion 31 and the carrier connecting portion 311 of the
contact 3. Moreover, the finger portion 21 of the carrier and the base
portion 31 of the contact 3 are parallel to each other.

[0028] Please refer to FIGS. 2 and 3. Because the upper portion of the
flexible arm 32 extends toward the direction of the slanting second
connecting portion 222 of the finger portion 21, when a plurality of the
contact-carrier combinations 1 are placed in a staggered configuration in
parallel rows (i.e., each of the flexible arms 32 of a front carrier is
aligned between two flexible arms from a rear row), the flexible arm of
the contact in a rear row can partially (or even fully) extends into the
space defined by the escaping section of the carrier in a front row
without interference. Thus, the additional room provided by the
arrangement of the instant disclosure enables the connector 3 to adapt
longer flexible arms, thereby enhancing the overall electrical
connectivity of the connector.

[0029] Reference is now made to FIG. 4, which shows an insulating housing
5 of a connector. The insulating housing 5 hosts a plurality row of
contact receiving slots 51 corresponding designed to receive the contacts
3 of a plurality of the contact-carrier combination 1. However, for
illustration simplicity, the instant figure only shows two rows of
receiving slots. Specifically, the receiving slots 51 are arranged in a
staggered configuration in parallel rows (i.e., one receiving slot 51 in
a rear row is located substantially behind and between two receiving
slots 51 of an immediate front row). This means that the center line of
the receiving slot 51 in a rear row is located between the two receiving
slots 51 in an immediate front row. Moreover, the receiving slot 51 is
slantingly disposed on the top face of the insulating housing 5 at a
predetermined angle with respect to side wall 52. As shown in FIG. 4, the
slant angle is preferably 45 degrees.

[0030] Reference is now made to FIGS. 5 to 9, which show the assembly
processes for assembling the contact-carrier combination 1 in the
insulating housing 5.

[0031] First, the contacts of a first contact-carrier combination 1 in
accordance with the instant disclosure are installed into the receiving
slots 51 in a front slot row of the insulating housing 5. The base
portion 31 of the contacts 3 are fastened in the corresponding receiving
slots 51. The carrier 20 is seated on the upper face of the insulating
housing 5 at an angle with respect to the side wall 52. The angle is
preferably 45 degrees as shown in the instant figures.

[0032] Next, the contacts 3 of a second contact-carrier combination 1 are
installed into the corresponding receiving slots 51 in a rear row in an
identical orientation as the first contact-carrier combination. The base
portion 31 of the contacts 3 are fastened in the corresponding receiving
slots 51. Thanks to the slanting angle of the escaping section 222 of the
finger portion 21, the flexible arm 32 of the contacts 3 from a rear row
can partially extend into a space defined by the corresponding escaping
sections of the contact-carrier combinations in a front row. Thus, the
additional room provided by the arrangement of the instant disclosure
enables the connector 3 to adapt longer flexible arms, thereby enhancing
the overall electrical connectivity of the connector.

[0033] Finally, the exposing palm portion 20 of the carrier above the
carrier connecting portion 33 of the contact 3 can be detached along the
breaking portion 4.

[0034] The installation of the electrical contacts is therefore complete.

[0035] The contact-carrier combination and the manufacturing method for an
electrical connector with the contacts of the present invention have the
following advantageous characteristics.

[0036] 1. The base portion extends upward to form the flexible arm and the
carrier-connecting portion, and the carrier-connecting portion is
connected to the carrier, so that the base portion of the contact does
not need to be bent to form the carrier-connecting portion when the
contact is formed. Therefore, the problem of the contact location of the
contact and the electronic element of the prior art being inaccurate to
affect the contact between the flexible arm and the electronic element
does not exist.

[0037] 2. Because the base portion extends upwards to form the flexible
arm and the carrier-connecting portion, and the carrier-connecting
portion is connected with the carrier, the base portion does not need to
be bent to form the carrier-connecting portion when the contact is
formed. Therefore, the problem of a variation existed between the contact
and the receiving slot of prior art does not exist. Further, the problem
of difficult assembly or the contact being damaged also does not exist.
The installation speed will not be lowered.

[0038] 3. Because the finger portion is bent to define an accommodating
space, and the flexible arm of the contact in the rear row can partially
extend into the space of the adjacent finger portion, the flexible arms
of longer length may be adapted, thus enhancing the contact performance
of the connector.

[0039] 4. Because the finger portion is bent to define an accommodating
space, and the flexible arm of the contact in the rear row can partially
extend into the space of the adjacent finger portion, the disposition of
the receiving slots of the insulating housing for receiving the contacts
can be highly concentrated.

[0040] 5. Because the space for part of the flexible arm of the contact to
extend into is located on the carrier portion of the contact-carrier
combination, which is to be removed to form the electrical connector
after the contact-carrier combination is assembled with the insulating
housing. Therefore, the accuracy of the space formed from bending the
finger portion of the carrier is not a key factor. Even though it is not
controlled in a highly precise angle, the dimensional accuracy can still
be maintained, and the positional accuracy between the contact and the
electronic element can also be kept.

[0041] 6. The angle between the contact-carrier combination and the side
wall of the insulating housing is 45 degrees. The slanted structure in
the insulating housing can be disposed with the contacts that its
quantity is more than prior art. The contacts can be highly concentrated.

[0042] The description above only illustrates specific embodiments and
examples of the present invention. The present invention should therefore
cover various modifications and variations made to the herein-described
structure and operations of the present invention, provided they fall
within the scope of the present invention as defined in the following
appended claims.